Good points Bigvan. Good points overall. There is a whole lot more positivity here - and a whole lot less criticism - even appropriate criticism - and I can tell there have been times where you were holding your breath about things. Maybe the fact that Kevin is somewhat diplomatically trying to establish his online mag, contributes to a general sense of tentativeness and care when dealing with the subjects at hand... the pipe biz is a small community, and truthfully, some carvers deserve a little criticism (funny how the only time that happened here, someone took it personally and bolted. Oh well)
But to me, the main problem isn't being inclusive or exclusive, it's the residue of being exclusive which trips me out. I get seriously freaked out about high-end pipe people who feel obligated to look down on the Dr Grabow dudes. I mean big time. I'd rather have a $2 Dr Grabow smoker who just picked up pipes get practical information and have a good time exploring what lies ahead, than head to other forums and get jacked for even CONSIDERING buying something with a stinger, how daaare you, quick someone, get the Lysol before he infects us all, now where did I put my Bo Nordh and by the way did I tell you Brian Ruthenberg made me and my wife matching yin-yang butterfly-raspberry blast morta wood with a self-activating tamper, only cost is a second mortgage.
Man F THAT. Those of us who like high-end pieces (I'm one who does) have no business beating the Dr Grabow fans over the head about how bitchin it would be if they bought a $5000 Keichi Gotoh. They are just starting out and are into pipes - let them find their way about what styles they like. So a guy buys a $2 Willard at a yard sale, polishes it up and brags about it. Good for him! Meanwhile last year at Chicago, I bought a $350 hand-carved pipe from someone whose stuff I had been wanting to add to my collection, and he was a flaming prick. It's been almost a year and I can tell you, I'll never smoke it and I won't buy another from that dude. And by the way, the pipe sucks. Funny how that happens.
Inclusive can sometimes be cooler than being exclusive to a fault - and if exclusive is what you're in the mood for, Pipe Maker's Forum can be cool. But to me, each site is like a bar, some you like and stay, some you check out every now and then, and some you avoid. This place, to me, is like Rocky's, or Vinnie's, or something, some totally low-key place where they serve Pabst and wings and they have pool tables and a quarter jukebox with Tom T. Hall and Waylon and people smoke Dr Grabows and Willards that they polished at home. That's my type of place. Most of the time.
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